WINTER favourites

Almond, Rum and Ricotta Fritters

Golden and crisp on the outside with a tender, fluffy centre, the raspberry sauce adds a welcome sharpness to these sweet treats.

FRITTERS

250 grams firm ricotta
2 eggs, size 7
3 tablespoons caster sugar
2 tablespoons rum or another favourite liqueur
1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
finely grated zest 1 lemon
½ cup plain flour
½ cup ground almonds
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon sea salt

TO FINISH

vegetable oil, to cook
icing sugar, to dust

RASPBERRY COULIS

2 cups frozen raspberries, thawed with their juices
2 tablespoons icing sugar
1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice

RASPBERRY COULIS: Put the raspberries, icing sugar and citrus juice in a food processor and blend until smooth. Push through a fine sieve, discarding the pips, then tip into a serving jug.

FRITTERS: Stir the ricotta, eggs, sugar, rum, vanilla and zest together in a large bowl, leaving the ricotta quite chunky. Combine the flour, almonds, baking powder and the salt together and fold into the ricotta mixture.

Heat about 4cm oil in a medium-sized, deep saucepan to 160°C on a deep-frying thermometer or until a cube of bread dropped in rises to the surface and cooks golden in about 20 seconds. Drop large walnut-sized